NQ Dry Tropics

NQ DRY TROPICS WELCOMES LABOR AND LNP FUNDING COMMITMENTS NQ Dry Tropics is one of 12 natural resource management (NRM) groups in Queensland. Earlier this year, our representative body, Natural Resource Management Regions Queensland launched the $196m, four-year Nurturing Nature: Cultivating Culture plan to address some of the biggest threats to the state’s environment and economy. The plan aimed to help secure a commitment from Queensland's political parties to invest in initiatives focused on halting the decline of threatened species, supporting First Nations stewardship, and improving land condition for agriculture, biodiversity and the economy. NQ Dry Tropics is delighted that within the last couple of weeks, both Labor and the LNP announced major commitments to fund the NRM sector. In late September, the Labor government committed to investing $139.5 million to support NRM. Read more about it here https://bit.ly/3Njd4P2 And last week, the LNP came to the party with a $117.84 million funding committment! Read more here https://bit.ly/4eAULki Great news for the sector! NRM Regions Queensland NRM Regions Australia Terrain NRM Reef Catchments Healthy Land & Water

North Queensland graziers can get help to tackle areas on their property where the land is in poor, or degraded condition. The GRASS program delivered in the Burdekin Natural Resource Management region by NQ Dry Tropics and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), aims to help landholders develop a plan of action to tackle problem areas. It also helps them ensure they’re meeting their obligations under the Queensland Government’s reef protection regulations and gives them an opportunity to be acknowledged as being a low priority for compliance audits. NQ Dry Tropics and the landholder develop a GRASS plan together, identifying areas that need attention and formalising a plan of action to improve end-of-season ground cover and reducing soil loss through erosion. There is some incentive funding available for works identified in the action plan to facilitate improved land management. Examples of that might be small to medium scale gully remediation and riparian and hillslope fencing. The GRASS program is funded through the Queensland Government’s Queensland Reef Water Quality Program and is delivered by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), Burnett Mary Regional Group, Fitzroy Basin Association and NQ Dry Tropics. Visit https://lnkd.in/gW5BrzuF to learn more. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Queensland)

JOIN OUR TEAM COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER (TOWNSVILLE) If you are a creative storyteller with a passion for developing and disseminating content on multiple formats and platforms, we want to hear from you. You will work with Program and Project Managers to develop and implement communications strategies and actions, ensuring NQ Dry Tropics’ work is effectively communicated to key audiences. You will also travel around the region attending events, meeting a variety of stakeholders, and capturing their perspectives. Applications close 5pm on Monday 14 October. For more details and the application guide, visit our employment page here https://lnkd.in/eyZfsfHe NRM Regions Queensland NRM Regions Australia SEEK NRMjobs

All the information from a very successful Burdekin Region Water Quality Science Forum in Townsville last week is now available for viewing or download at NQ Dry Tropics’ website. Visit the forum page (https://lnkd.in/gyYb2iHQ) to view complete videos of any, or all, of the 13 formal presentations; download the presenters’ slides, or read a summary of each presentation to get a quick appreciation of the material discussed. Speakers covered a range of topics emanating from the 2021-2022 Scientific Consensus Statement, an excellent overview of which was delivered by C2O Consulting’s Senior Scientist, Jane Waterhouse. They covered topics including the region’s progress report card, the regional Water Quality Improvement Plan and the strategy behind that. Presenters outlined particular ground-level projects aimed at reducing sediment and nutrient run-off into waterways draining into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Scientists presented detailed explanations of the monitoring and constant assessment of water quality being carried out. There were also presentations about how projects involving Traditional Owners contributed to better land husbandry leading to water quality outcomes and how TO groups were able to participate in the decision-making around water quality activities. This forum was jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland government’s Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program and the Australian government’s Reef Trust program. Visit the page here: https://lnkd.in/gyYb2iHQ

WE ARE HIRING: SENIOR PROJECT OFFICER — GRAZING If you are passionate about helping graziers to adopt improved practices that build business resilience while protecting natural resources, then we want to hear from you. The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing the planning, execution, and successful completion of the Grazing Resilience and Sustainable Solutions (GRASS) project, and other similar projects. To view the Guide to Applicants and Position Description click here https://lnkd.in/eyZfsfHe Applications close 5pm on Monday 7 October 2024. AgForce Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Queensland) FutureBeef Queensland Farmers' Federation Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water NRMjobs

The Burdekin Major Integrated Project Gully Maintenance and Monitoring project is drawing upon the knowledge of graziers and technical specialists to guide how best to maintain remediated gullies. This is an important tenet of NQ Dry Tropics’ extension program — collaboration with key stakeholders, including landholders, to work towards solutions for NRM outcomes. It leads to deeper insights, fresher perspectives and delivers results.. Graziers are working with NQ Dry Tropics to gain a common understanding of gullies including what causes erosion, how best to fix them, and how to maintain them. Our in-the-paddock conversations with graziers around the Collinsville area highlight the challenge of working with sodic soil and the need for considered and planned maintenance. Grazier and earthmoving contractor Barry Collett shares his insights with NQ Dry Tropics Soil Conservation Officer Bernie Claussen.  https://lnkd.in/gvFuB7Ut

More than 80 people attended the Burdekin Region Water Quality Science Forum last week to hear what the latest science is telling us about water quality in the Great Barrier Reef, and how local on-ground actions in the Burdekin are helping to improve water quality. It brought together scientists, natural resource and catchment management organisations, industry groups, Traditional Owners, and government representatives. A huge thank you to the 16 speakers who presented on a wide range of topics including: - 2022 Scientific Consensus Statement - 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan - Paddock to Reef Program - Local management practice change and on-ground projects - Indigenous engagement in water quality decision making - Burdekin Region Water Quality Strategy (planning overview) The Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan is being reviewed and the forum provided discussion sessions with stakeholders to seek feedback as part of the review process. It was an opportunity for Burdekin stakeholders to share experiences and views about how to improve local water quality and the health of the Burdekin catchment to support a healthy reef. This forum was jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland government’s Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program and the Australian government’s Reef Trust program. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Department of Environment, Science and Innovation Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Queensland) Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Great Barrier Reef Foundation Sugar Research Australia Limited burdekin productivity services Lower Burdekin Water Australian Institute of Marine Science Port of Townsville Limited North Queensland Conservation Council AgriTech Solutions CSIRO Burnett Mary Regional Group NRM Regions Queensland

Upper Burdekin grazier Dino Penna and his station manager Melissa Myles, pictured, have a lot to smile about. They’ve completed a series of fencing and water infrastructure projects across  Kangaroo Hills station to improve dry season ground cover. Installation of a 15km fence has resulted in all of Douglas Creek being fenced on one side. The creek flows the length of the property and into the Burdekin River, and it's been a long term aim of Dino’s to be able to manage stock on the riparian areas. The new fence has split a paddock into two smaller ones, about 3,500ha each.  This has enabled the paddock containing Douglas Creek to be spelled for the majority of the year.  Cattle will only be allowed into this paddock when feed availability is scarce during a dry season. Conservative stocking rates will continue to be employed, with numbers adjusted based on seasonal requirements. This project follows another fencing project that was completed last year on Kangaroo Hills. It also involved splitting a paddock in two to enable grazing rotation to increase rest periods for pasture and encourage recovery of perennial, productive and palatable (3P) grasses. It excluded cattle from one side of 4 Mile Creek, a watercourse with steep banks making access to many areas of the paddock more difficult, which resulted in cattle preferentially grazing the flatter areas. This has now been rectified, cattle now graze more evenly across the paddock. Dino said he was managing for the dry times. He said rotational grazing and longer rest periods had resulted in increased ground cover, improved water infiltration and regermination of native plant species. The latest fencing project will allow him to have more control of the timing and intensity of grazes, and potentially, could reduce supplement feeding. Dino will continue to closely monitor the paddocks to ensure degraded areas recover and preferential grazing of  “sweet spots” is minimised. Removing cattle from riparian areas will result in a reduction of sediment delivery to the Douglas Creek which runs into the Burdekin River and enters the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Kangaroo Hills is one of more than 60 properties in the Upper and East Burdekin sub-catchments that took part in the Herding Change Through Grassroots Recovery project, adopting grazing land management actions to improve land condition, productivity and water quality. The Herding Change Through Grassroots Recovery project is funded through the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Great Barrier Reef Foundation

Don Heatley, of Byrne Valley, near Home Hill, has installed a riparian fence to facilitate greater control of grazing, gully remediation and weed treatments. Alligator Creek is the main watercourse flowing off Byrne Valley directly into the Burdekin River. Along its length, a number of small gullies have developed over the years. For the past two years Don has worked with NQ Dry Tropics Soil Conservation Officer Bernie Claussen to reduce erosion at three gully sites. These works have been aimed at reducing or halting the progression of three active gully heads, using machinery, a bulldozer, and tractor with a bucket. Don and Bernie held numerous conversations on site and on the phone before coming up with a plan that included having an acceptable budget and, importantly, allowing Don to undertake the work with the machinery he had on hand - a bulldozer and a loader.  The gullies are of a medium size and, at this point in time, not considered cost-effective to be treated like Type 3 (large-scale) gullies which involves full disturbance, heavy earth works, reshaping, and revegetation. Another challenge was the subsoil is strongly dispersive, therefore, any disturbance with a bulldozer would increase soil loss rather than decrease it. Don and Bernie agreed that some action should be taken at the gully heads otherwise they would continue to advance and expand across the floodplain.  The three sites were treated with minimal disturbance by filling the active gully heads with stable fill, compacting as much as possible with tracks of the machines, top-dressing with local soil, mulching and seeding.  While the gullies are not fully remediated, the rate of erosion has been significantly reduced.  The Reef Assist team installed leaky weirs (porous check dams) in the gullies to complement the gully head fills. These have slowed runoff in the gully and captured soil, reducing the slope of the gully channel which, in turn, helps vegetation to establish. Bernie recently caught up with Don to discuss how the gully remediation was holding up when she visited for a routine review of the sites.  See the before and after pictures. The riparian fence excludes stock for much of the year, the aim is to encourage the recovery of deep-rooted perennial, productive and palatable (3P) grasses and the retention of higher levels of end-of-dry-season groundcover. Cattle are mostly excluded apart from being used for short grazes in the dry season to stimulate grass growth and establishment. This section of the stream is also heavily infested with bellyache bush and rubber vine, and a weed management plan has been developed to address weed infestation to suppress weed recovery in favour of pasture species establishment and colonisation. This work has been completed by The Herding Change Through Grassroots Recovery project, funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Queensland’s natural resource management (NRM) sector has developed the Nurturing Nature: Cultivating Culture plan to address some of the biggest threats to the state’s environment and economy. This Is what the NRM sector is proposing to improve climate adaptation and disaster resilience: https://lnkd.in/g7dSeT6p One goal is to develop a cane industry catchment development plan that improves ecosystems for disaster resilience, activating modules of the Smartcane BMP and identifying opportunities for blue carbon sequestration, habitat restoration, streambank remediation and wetland establishment. Another is to build climate resilience into coastal systems and demonstrating the impact that retention of native vegetation can play in buffering from climate extremes through Cultural burning. The $196.4 million plan includes four years of action to see outcomes delivered for: First Nations stewardship Land condition Climate Adaptation Disaster resilience Biodiversity Aquatic environments NRM Regions Queensland NRM Regions Australia CANEGROWERS Australia Country Needs People